On 13 September and 5 October 2024, the Council of Europe hosted two workshops in Baku with participation from 40 representatives of civil society organisations, psychologists, lawyers, academia and youth. The workshops reflected and expanded the discussions from the International Conference Synergy for change: Civil society raising awareness on violence against women in a context of global challenges - Gender Equality held in Budapest in July 2024.
The workshops also featured two thematic group discussions on the role of civil society in "advocacy" and "awareness raising" in combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Ms Pervana Mammadova, Founder of the Fem Act Azerbaijan Women Foundation, shared insights about the organisation's first “breaking the silence” movement, highlighting the critical importance of empowering women to prevent violence. Ms Shahla Ismayil, Chairperson of the "Women’s Association for Rational Development" Public Union, discussed their efforts in raising awareness through regional activities in schools and among mayors and the general public. Additionally, Mr Fariz Namazov, a lawyer, spoke about the recent RB and NG v. Azerbaijan case, which was communicated by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to Azerbaijani authorities. The Court raised significant concerns about the country's failure to protect domestic violence victims and stressed the need to tackle the underlying systemic, gender-based discrimination.
Participants engaged in a World Café-style brainstorming session, focusing on four key areas: improving risk assessment of violence against women, addressing the digital dimension of violence, enhancing access to justice for victims, and tackling the rise of anti-gender movements, concluding that legal reforms, capacity building for professionals, and widespread public awareness, especially in regional communities, are essential steps in preventing violence against women and promoting gender equality.
The workshop is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme "Partnership for Good Governance," co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe under the project "Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan.
